


variable set

by seraf



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Talentswap (Dangan Ronpa), Canon Rewrite, Eventual Relationships, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Mystery, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-05-19 16:08:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19360288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraf/pseuds/seraf
Summary: when shuichi saihara wakes up, he nearly drowns, and the day only gets stranger from there.drv3 talentswap/rewrite au.





	1. Chapter 1

when shuichi saihara wakes up, he’s up to his chin in water. if he’s willing to let his nose run the risk of being submerged, and stretches himself until his muscles ache, his toes brush . . . some kind of bottom. he can’t get stable enough footing to feel if it’s sand or tile or anything similar, and it’s pitch black.

 

a hysterical little part of him wonders if he’s dead. maybe this is purgatory. or something like that. that would make sense – he’s not a good person, but he doesn’t think he’s really a _bad_ person, either.

 

the space is eliminated with a dull red light, and his thighs start to ache from trying to tread water ( maybe he _shouldn’t_ have skipped all those gym classes ), and that mostly eliminates that possibility. far in the distance, a bright blue light appears. hope slowly rises up in shuichi’s stomach as he begins to kick himself that way, only to curdle as a giant timer appears, floating in the sky above him, red numbers beginning to tick down.

 

a robotic voice, high pitched and oddly . . . grating? sounds out through the darkness.

 

‘ _shuichi saihara, the ultimate inventor. make your way to the elevator before the time runs out, or risk elimination. gooooood luck!_ ‘

 

elimination wasn’t exactly a word brimming with optimistic possibility, shuichi decided, beginning to flail his arms through the water as quickly as possible, desperately trying to remember how professional swimmers did it. he could keep himself afloat, yes, but that didn’t mean he was _fast._ the light began to, despite his general incompetence, grow closer, revealing itself to be an opaque . . . glass box? that seemingly floated on top of the water.

 

he wondered if the room’s lighting was really still red, or if that was just what everything looked like to him as his lungs pled for some kind of respite, the numbers beginning to blur in his vision as he continued, desperately, to try and move forwards. suddenly, there was a splash out in the water in front of him, and he gasps for air, floundering where he floats, wondering if it’s a better idea to keep going or try and swim away.

 

( in the end, caught in the headlights of indecision and physical exhaustion, all he does is freeze, desperately hoping this wasn’t what the disembodied voice meant by _elimination._ being eaten by sea creatures wasn’t really ever how he planned to go. )

 

but it doesn’t _seem_ like an elimination, as instead, strong arms wrap around his ribs, and he finds one of his arms being slung over someone else’s shoulder. he can’t make out much of their face in the dim lighting, but he’s aware they’re carrying him – much more quickly, he notes with a tiny hint of shame – towards the box.

 

‘ you might wanna hold your breath, ‘ they warn, and shuichi only has enough time for his mind to process that before both of them are diving under the water, a huge puff of bubbles rising from his face as he panics for the sudden lack of air, the two of them diving _under_ the cube. is this how he dies after all? what’s going to happen to him?

 

ah, he realizes belatedly, as another pair of hands grips him under the shoulders and begins to pull him upwards, there was a hole under the box. like a trapdoor or something. he’s being tugged up through it by a third person, his mysterious benefactor tugging himself out of the water after him.

 

‘ hey, ‘ his rescuer says with a friendly smile, his face now clear to see now that the light was white, almost harsh. ‘ sorry about that, but you . . . really didn’t have much time left. ‘ he points up towards the sky, where, unlike the rest of the box, the roof is transparent, showing the numbers ticking down, now in the single digits.

 

  1. 6\. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.



 

_BEEP!_

when the timer hits zero, a grating alarm rings, and the surface of the water beneath them arcs with white-blue electricity. shuichi can only stare and swallow at what might have happened to him had these two not helped him.

 

speaking of which – he realized, suddenly, that he was clinging on to whoever the second person had been, the one who pulled him out of the water, knuckles white where he clings onto their shoulders, side of his face almost pressed into their chest in alarm when the electricity had appeared. politely, they seem not to be mentioning it. he hurriedly lets go, in an attempt to retain whatever remains of his dignity.

 

( he’s not sure how much it works, but . . . that’s beside the point. )

 

‘ wh-who are you two? ‘ he asks, unable to keep his teeth from chattering as he begins to try and wring the water out from his clothes.

 

the one who had rescued him turns to him with a bright smile. he has bright green hair that currently is plastered to the side of his face, down over his forehead, and a t-shirt turned dark grey by the water. he wears a tiny enamel rocket-shaped necklace, and has a few piercings through each ear, his nails painted bright blue and pink. ‘ nice to meet you. i’m rantaro. rantaro amami. the ultimate astronaut. ‘

 

‘ nice to meet you, ‘ shuichi mumbles, fiddling with his goggles and pulling them up over his eyes – the lenses are tinted somewhat, so eye contact doesn’t make him as uneasy. suddenly, something clicks. ‘ oh! i think i remember you, actually – were you the one emailing me about multi-function jewelry? ‘

 

the amount of things you could take to space, as he understood it, was very limited – things needed to have a purpose. ( for the most part. it had been getting a little more open to interpretation over the years. ) rantaro had contacted him to ask about multi-purpose jewelry and cosmetics, so bringing seemingly excess objects would be justifiable.

 

‘ that’s me! ‘ rantaro says with a little grin. ‘ nice job, by the way. half my crew was super jealous of the multi-vit lipgloss. ‘

 

shuichi offers a tentative little smile, before realizing he hadn’t actually ever introduced himself. he waves a little bit, hand awkwardly close to his body, trying to conserve his heat. ‘ uh – i’m shuichi saihara. ultimate inventor. ‘ he frowns, looks at his knees. ‘ though i’m . .. not sure i deserve that title. none of my inventions have been super . . . life changing, you know? they’re all pretty dumb. i’m still just learning. ‘

 

‘ perhaps, ‘ says the other person in the cube with them, their voice low and almost melodic, a little raspy, ‘ but it is that capacity to learn that gives you potential, yes? maybe there have been people who have invented larger things than you, but they are often around the point of plateauing. your speed of learning and the advancement in technology between your inventions is what i believe grants you the title. ‘

 

a shiver runs up shuichi’s spine, and he’s not sure if it’s because of his still-damp closing or the almost sinister feeling the other person has to them.

 

they’re wearing a dark veil that covers the lower half of their face, one eye covered with a half-mask in a sort of masquerade style, intricate and black and swirling, dark green hair falling long over their shoulders, a silver chain attached into the inside of their hair, currently tucked behind one ear. bandages are wrapped around their arms, leaving their fingers exposed, slender and almost delicate. if he hadn’t been pulled out of the water by them, shuichi would never have guessed at the strength they held.

 

‘ who are you? ‘ he asks, rubbing his upper arms in the hopes that the friction might generate some heat.

 

the other stranger bows their head gracefully. ‘ a fair question. i am korekiyo shinguji. i am the ultimate magician. please, though – call me kiyo. ‘ they cling to their own shoulders now, but it doesn’t seem to be for warmth, like shuichi is doing. almost like they’re . . . gleeful. ‘ fascinating, is it not? all of us seem to have ultimate talents. i wonder under what circumstances we were brought here? ‘

 

‘ uh . . . yeah, ‘ shuichi says, a little stiffly, not sure how else to reply. ‘ do either . . . do either of you two remember how you got here? ‘

 

‘ nope, ‘ rantaro replies with a shrug, sounding way too blasé about the whole affair. ‘ i woke up and almost swallowed a mouthful of water, and the voice told me to make my way over here. i swam over, and then watched kiyo here do the same thing. when we heard the voice again, we assumed someone else had been brought in here. ‘

 

‘ it is much the same for me, ‘ kiyo muses with a hum. ‘ i woke up surrounded by dark water. luckily, in my line of work, it is not . . . a completely unheard of experience. _kehehe._ ‘

 

‘ in . . . magic? ‘ shuichi asks, incredulously.

 

kiyo raises one slim finger. ‘ yes . . . and no. sleights of hand, illusions of the eye . . . those are not my specialty, though i have learned to do them, as is expected of me. i am more interested in the kind of magic people believe is real. ‘ they clutch their waist, now. ‘ often, that related to the human soul. seances, summonings, healing spells, hexes. attempts to peer through the veil – that of death, of reality, of the future. ‘ their eyes open, fixing on shuichi. ‘ despite geographical and cultural differences, almost every civilization has some concept of magic. i found that concept fascinating, and i have been travelling in the pursuit of it all. ‘

 

‘ i see, ‘ shuichi said. the shiver that runs through him this time has nothing to do with the cold water. ‘ so . . . what are we supposed to do from here? ‘ he asks, desperate for a change of subject.

 

‘ i believe the water is fresh, so if we are to remain here, we could for a couple of days at least, ‘ kiyo murmurs thoughtfully. ‘ of course, then the problem of food arises. ‘

 

‘ well, we could always eat each other, ‘ rantaro says with a wry grin, clearly joking.

 

‘ you say that, ‘ kiyo replies, raising one hand, palm facing upwards, ‘ but given that we have no method of cooking or telling who might have a blood-transferrable disease, that could quite possibly lead to a death sooner than malnutrition. ‘

 

‘ fair enough, ‘ rantaro says with an easy, loose sort of shrug, leaning back against one glass wall of the cube, his eyes fluttering half-shut lazily. he catches shuichi’s look. ‘ listen . . . he just sort of talks like that, but once you get to know him a little bit more, i promise he’s not really that creepy. ‘

 

‘ if you say so, ‘ shuichi says, doubtfully.  though he supposes kiyo is one of the less creepy things he’s experienced today. ‘ i’m still worried, though. what are we supposed to – ‘

 

they’re cut off suddenly by a new voice, more high-pitched than the one before, as a new form suddenly appears in the box with them. shuichi calmly evaluates the situation and the newcomer that seems to have joined them, looking for whatever mechanism it must have used to manage to get into their box, given that it didn’t appear to have come through the same hole all of them used.

 

( well, no, that’s an outright lie. when the little red bear appears, shuichi yells, startled, and finds himself clinging onto kiyo’s shoulders again instinctively. at least, the magician doesn’t appear to be too bothered by it, gently patting his back once as he seems to take in their visitor with eyes the level of calm shuichi wishes he could have. )

 

‘ oh, ‘ rantaro says, sounding – not for the first time – altogether too calm about this. ‘ well then. who are you? ‘

 

‘ i’m monotaro! ‘ the little red bear exclaims proudly, hands – paws? – resting on its hips, puffing his chest out. ‘ i’m one of the monokubs! you bastards better pay attention to me!’

 

‘ was there any inclination that we wouldn’t? ‘ kiyo asks calmly, his face unreadable underneath the veil he wears, one hand cradling the side of his face. monotaro recoils a little bit, as though in shock, before glaring at him.

 

‘ and that means no interrupting, mister smarty-pants! ‘

 

it’s funny, shuichi thinks in some disjointed part of him, monotaro almost kind of reminds him of a cartoon or something, with his brightly colored design, basic features, and annoying high-pitched voice. the overdramatic personality doesn’t help matters, either.

 

‘ nice to meet you, monotaro, ‘ rantaro says. ‘ i’m rantaro. this is shuichi and kiyo. ‘

 

monotaro perks up. ‘ oh! it’s nice to meet you too! i mean – wait, hold on! i know who you are already! you’re all ultimates in part of this killing game! ‘ from out of . . . nowhere, he pulls out a few notecards, hastily flipping through them as though reviewing some script. ‘ damn it, now you’ve messed me up! i gotta start from the beginning! ‘

 

‘ please don’t, ‘ kiyo voices, but monotaro speaks over him.

 

‘ hello there, bastards! i’m monotaro, one of the monokubs! you’re all here because you’re ultimates, here to play a killing game with fifteen others, two of which will be here in the elevator with you! you’ve just cleared the first stage of – ‘ and the little bear’s eyes darken dramatically, the robotic components somehow becoming clearer. ‘ the _death road of despair._ ‘ he pauses for a moment, seemingly just for effect, before checking his notes again. ‘ soon, you will be meeting the rest of your class, and this killing school semester can begin for real! good luck, bastards! you’ll be needing it! ‘

 

he tucks his index cards back into . . . somewhere, and looks between all of them hopefully. ‘ how was that, d’you think? ‘

 

‘ . . . killing school semester? ‘ rantaro asks, posing the question shuichi had been a little too nervous too.

 

‘ that’s right! it’s a time honored tradition! you should count yourself lucky to be a part of it, you know! ‘ monotaro proclaims. faintly, as though it’s occurring somewhere in the distance, they can hear a beeping, and he perks up again. ‘ oh! that’s my cue! i’ll be leaving you alone now! so long, bear well! ‘

 

and with that, he turns on one heel, and disappears, as mysteriously and suddenly as he came.

 

rantaro scratches the back of his head, green hair beginning to dry off into a fluffy mess. ‘ i know we wanted some sort of an explanation, ‘ he says, ‘ but i only feel more confused, now. ‘

 

‘ there was one other curious thing he said, ‘ kiyo muses, resting one finger delicately on the side of his face.

 

‘ only one? ‘ shuichi asks, incredulously. ‘ there were a lot of weired things he said! ‘

 

kiyo doesn’t even deign to acknowledge that, folding his hands in his lap. ‘ i mean, of course, that he called this – ‘ an elegant yet slight sweeping gesture at the box all of them are held in ‘ – an elevator. presumably, that means it might move at any point, yes? ‘

 

he’d already been avoiding the hole in the floor ever since they saw the electricity shoot through the water, but upon hearing kiyo’s thoughts, shuichi scoots just a little bit closer to the wall, looking nervously overhead, though all there is is that same void there had been since he was dropped in there, now without even the timer to light the area.

 

they sit still for one second, then two, then ten.

 

‘ maybe not, ‘ rantaro says with a shrug. ‘ though he said there were supposed to be sixteen of us, so i think something has to happen soon. he talked like something else was going to happen. ‘

 

‘ something . . . significant, ‘ kiyo says, tipping his head in agreement, ‘ and apparently with precedent. how interesting. perhaps we – ‘ he’s cut off when the box suddenly jolts into motion, beginning to slowly rumble upwards, seemingly towards no end at first. ‘ ah, ‘ he finishes, and just cranes his neck, looking up the shaft they must apparently be advancing up.

 

for a few minutes ( for what feels like a few hours to shuichi ), the three of them just sit in silence, looking up, as though hoping for some answers to peer over the horizon. and eventually, _something_ does, a dim light beginning to grow closer, and closer, and closer still.

 

finally, the box shudders to a halt, and all is silent for a few seconds, before a pleasantly-toned _ding_ echoes through the elevator.

 

‘ welcome to the academy for gifted juveniles, level one! ‘ a cheerful girls’ voice rings out over some kind of intercom. it has an odd quality to it that reminds shuichi of the cartoony-ness of monotaro’s voice earlier. maybe it’s some other version of him. he had talked like he was one out of a group, after all. ‘ congratulations on passing your first test in the death road of despair, and welcome to your killing school semester! please get ready to meet your classmates! ‘

 

shuichi stands, rantaro giving him a hand up as he does, and does his best to straighten out his still-damp outfits, trying to flatten down his hair. nervousness rises in his throat, and he takes a ridiculous kind of relief in the fact that kiyo and rantaro are standing between him and the door.

 

and with another ding, the door slowly slides open, light flooding the elevator.

 

* * *

 

magician kiyo!

astronaut rantaro!


	2. Chapter 2

the room the three of them stepped out into was . . . it looked like something you might find in the center of a wealthy person’s garden, with a giant fountain in the center of an incomplete circle of glass boxes like the one they had just been in. standing on the fountain is a giant statue of justice, with the scales and blindfold, but it seems like the head has been replaced with . . . the head looks sort of like monotaro, but not exactly. missing the pacifier of sorts.

 

there are a few large gaps between some of the elevators, as if not all of them are there yet, and a high brick wall surrounding the area, with an intricate golden gate swung open, leading out into . . . something unknown.

 

there were a few other people standing in the courtyard, shuichi noticed, with something like relief. their situation was strange, and just kept getting stranger, but there was something to be said for the value of commiseration.

 

‘ hey there, ‘ rantaro says, already beginning to move towards the others, his hands in his pockets and his face relaxed once again. shuichi wondered where the hell he managed to draw all that calm from, acting like he knew what he was doing and wasn’t worried about what would happen next under circumstances like these.

 

‘ _kehehe._ ‘ shuichi jumps at the sudden noise - it’s kiyo, standing next to him, elbow resting on one hand and eyes drinking in the new students with a visible curiousity. ‘ he’s certainly an odd one, yes? i am interested to see how this goes. ‘ with that, he’s gliding after rantaro, leaving shuichi looking blankly at the spot where he had been.

 

 _you’re certainly one to talk_ remains unsaid, but it’s absolutely on his mind as he sighs and follows the other two, tugging his goggles back perfectly into place, fiddling with the straps.

 

he almost deflates with relief, noticing the first person who sees them - unlike, say, kiyo, she looks .. . completely normal, with long blue hair that falls past the small of her back and glasses she’s fiddling with, in a school uniform that’s still a little damp. she’s the first to see him, giving a tiny smile and a wave that’s more a crook of four fingers than anything else, and he returns the little gesture, hoping the awkwardness in his smile isn’t _too_ obvious.

 

the other two she’s standing with _don’t_ have the distinction of being completely normal looking, which shuichi is beginning to feel is more par for the course than anything. ( he knows he himself must be sort of odd-looking. for his birthday, his uncle had gotten him a labcoat that was a deep black instead of white, and that plus the goggles he wore to hide behind must give him a sort of mad scientist appearance. )

 

one of them has his hands folded behind his head, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet with a grin, wide and lazy. he’s wearing an iridescent looking scarf over a purple vest and shirt, and it looks like he’s antagonizing the two he’s standing with, leaning over to poke the other girl in the shoulder every time she turned her back on himeven for a moment.he’s shorter than even shuichi, with bright purple chin-length hair.

 

the other girl looks like she’s a few seconds away from breaking the boy’s nose.

 

one thing that’s immediately striking about her? she’s made of metal. shuichi can’t help but stop and stare for a moment. she moves with a sort of grace to her, a naturalness that seems . . . probably more human than shuichi manages to come off with, his anxiety tells him. but her fingers have clearly mechanical joints, and there are seams in her “clothing” that show that it’s also metal.

 

so there’s a robot here. alright. given the bear . . . thing . . . that had been in the elevator earlier, shuichi supposes it’s not as weird as it could be. maybe this is just to be expected, here.

 

rantaro’s already started talking to them, arms crossed and shoulders relaxed, and shuichi quickly scurries up to stand a little behind rantaro, not wanting to be left behind by the one person he even sort-of knows. ( other than kiyo, but kiyo, after listening to whatever they were saying, already seems to be leaving the enclosed space they’re in. )

 

‘ oh! hey, you guys, ‘ rantaro says easily, as shuichi tries not to make it obvious that he’s cowering behind him, ‘ this is shuichi. i mentioned him, right? he’s the ultimate inventor. ‘ rantaro smiles at him briefly. ‘ shuichi, this is kokichi, tsumugi, and maki. ‘

 

‘ nice to meet you, ‘ he says, eyes flicking away from them, but keeping his head towards them so they at least don’t thinkhe’s trying to dodge out of eye contact. ‘ are . . . are you all ultimates too? ‘

 

‘ well, ‘ tsumugi says plainly, resting her chin on one fist thoughtfully, ‘ i’m not sure! ‘

 

shuichi blinks at that. ‘ you’re . . . not sure? ‘

 

tsumugi nods. ‘ the bear in the elevator called all of us ultimates, you know? but . . . i can’t remember what my ultimate talent is. ‘ she shrugs, plays with a strand of her hair absently. ‘ i guess that’s to be expected, after all. i’m pretty plain, you see. ‘

 

‘ i don’t think that’s a bad thing, ‘ shuichi says honestly. ‘ i’m . . . not so special either. i don’t really deserve my ultimate title. it’s . . . kinda nice, to see someone normal here. ‘

 

‘ that’s very sweet of you, shuichi! ‘ she says, folding her hands together and smiling at him. ‘ thank you for saying that. ‘

 

he tries to smile back at her, but feels like it might looklike more of a grimace, unfortunately. hastily, so he doesn’t have to see her reaction to his attempt, he turns towards the robot girl. ‘ are you . . . maki?‘

 

‘ m4-k1, ‘ she responds, cooly. ‘ i got nicknamed maki because my superiors thought it would be more efficient to say. call me whatever you want. i don’t care. ‘ she looks away from him, arms crossed.

 

‘ oh, ‘ he says, swallowing. she managed to be . . . super intimidating. he wondered if she was trying to be, or if it just sort of came naturally. ‘ uh . . . what about you? ‘ she shoots him a scathing look, as if she can’t believe he’s still talking to her, and he gulps, taking a little half-step back. ‘ i mean . . .what’s your ultimate talent? ‘

 

she huffs out, looks away from him again. ‘ i’m the ultimate robot. ‘

 

‘ oh. ‘ he supposes that should have been expected. not really wanting to talk to her any longer, he shifts to look at where the boy had been - only to see nothing. he looks at rantaro quizzically, but the astronaut only shrugs. frowning, shuichi turns back in maki’s vague direction once again, only to let out an undignified little scream and fall back onto his ass as he finds his face within half an inch of the strange boy’s,who grins widely at his reaction,not evenpretending to be apologetic.

 

shuichi flushes. everyone’s staring at him now, theconversation rantaro had beenhavingwith tsumugi falling silent, and he pushes himself up as quickly as possible, brushing himself off andswallowing, fiddling with his goggles again to calm the nervous tick in his hands. ‘ uh - kokichi? ‘

 

the boy nods. ‘ kokichi ouma! pleased to meet you. ‘ his grin becomes sly, malicious around the edges of it, and he hides it behind one hand, fingers spread enough so shuichi can still see the gleam of his teeth. ‘ that’s a lie! i don’t like you already. but maybe _that’s_ the lie. ‘ he shrugs carelessly. ‘ who can say? ‘

 

shuichi blinks slowly. he feels like he has whiplash just from trying to listen to that. ‘ oh. uh . . . okay. er, what’s your ultimate talent . . . ? ‘

 

‘ i’ll give you three guesses! ‘ he says, holding a finger to his lips with a challenging smile. ‘ show me how smart you are, shuichi! ‘

 

‘ uh . . . ‘ everyone’s looking at him. everyone’s looking at him. he swallows, wipes his palms on his jacket, and tells himself his hands are only damp from coming out of the water earlier. they _aren’t_ sweaty because meeting new people is irrationally as frightening to him as being threatened with elimination. that would be stupid. they’re _not._ ‘ can i have a hint? ‘

 

‘ weeeeell, ‘ kokichi drawls, pretending to think about it, ‘ maybe just because it’s you! and you know i love you, shuichi. ‘ he grins. ‘ the first letter is a. ‘

 

shuichi ponders that for a moment, chewing his lip and trying to think of talents that started with a that might also fit the strange boy standing in front of him. ‘ ultimate artist? ‘

 

‘ strrrrrrike one! ‘ kokichi calls out. ‘ though we do have one of them here. they just went to go explore. they were in my elevator. ‘

 

shuichi nods, and his brow furrows in thought. ‘ ultimate . . . anarchist? ‘

 

kokichi shakes his head, grin growing with a smug kind of delight. ‘ wrong again, shuichi! though i suppose that one _is_ a little closer. come on, one try left! ‘

 

shuichi casts desperately around for some kind of answer. ultimate accountant? no, he didn’t seem like he had the patience for that. ultimate . . . anaesthesiologist? too specific. ultimate athiest? was that even a talent? ultimate . . . archaeologist? his outfit didn’t really look practical for that kind of thing.

 

‘ ultimate . . . archer? ‘ he tries, desperately. he can’t think of anything else at this point.

 

‘ beeeep! three strikes and you’re out, shuichi! ‘ kokichi sings, shaking his head. ‘ i’m disappointed in you, honestly. ‘

 

‘ then . . . what is it? ‘

 

kokichi’s smile suddenly turns sinister, shadow cast over his eyes with an intensity that almost makes shuichi trip backwards again. it looks like the very light has been drawn out of kokichi’s eyes, one finger resting on his lips and angle of the smile sharp enough to cut a hair draped over it. ‘ you’re thinking on too small a scale, shuichi. i’m the ultimate _assassin._ ‘

 

suddenly, shuichi doesn’t know how safe he feels, standing here. ‘ . . . oh. i - okay. ‘

 

rantaro shrugs, once again looking far too calm for the situation. ‘ to be fair, kokichi, i’m not sure how he was supposed to guess that one. ‘

 

the sinister look suddenly gone from kokichi’s face, he pouts and sticks out his tongue at rantaro. ‘ well maybe he should’ve just tried harder! ‘ rantaro sighs with . . . it looks almost _indulgent,_ resting his hands on his hips. like an older sibling watching their younger brother do something stupid. ‘ it’s not my fault he couldn’t figure it out. ‘

 

‘ i suppose, ‘ rantaro says with an easy little smile, running a hand through his damp hair. ‘ well - i think i’m going to go look around some more. ‘ he turns to look at shuichi. ‘ shuichi - want to come with me? it’d be nice to have someone to stick around with. tsumugi said a lot of people have been sticking with some of the groups they showed up with. ‘

 

shuichi can guess that rantaro senses his trepidation about everything here, and his heart swells with relief that rantaro didn’t make _him_ ask him if he could join him. ‘ that - that sounds good. ‘ he does his best not to just _run_ out of there, casting a nervous glance over his shoulder.

 

kokichi waves, cheerfully, and shuichi just swallows. somehow, it felt like kokichi had made direct eye contact with him, even through the tinted goggles.

* * *

( ultimate assassin / ultimate robot / ultimate ??? )

* * *

 

 

**CURRENT KNOWN TALENTS:**

**shuichi saihara:** ultimate inventor  
**rantaro amami:** ultimate astronaut  
**korekiyo shinguji:** ultimate magician  
**tsumugi shirogane:** ultimate ???  
**m4-k1/maki:** ultimate robot  
**kokichi ouma:** ultimate assassin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> standard Please Leave Comments I'm Starving note here


	3. Chapter 3

shuichi stepped out of the enclosed garden space,and looked around, a little dubiously. though it hadappeared that the sky was completely clear over the room they had stepped out into, when he shut thedoor behind him, he was in a gloomy hall, everything made of dark marble, hallways stretching on for seemingly infinite ends, twisting andturning away from each other. he looks behind him to ask rantaro what hethinks, but to his astonishment ( and immediate worry ) the astronaut isn’t behind him. the doorway of the door that now stands beside him looks distinctly _smaller_ than the one he had walked through.

 

shuchi begins to wonder if he’s losing his mind. it would certainly explain a few things.

 

opening the door just reveals . . . . more hallway, but this time in pristine white marble. shuichi decides to close it again, feeling uncomfortable at how little _sense_ this place made. choosing a corridor at random,he began walking aimlessly, just wanting out of the halls that felt . . . almost claustrophobic.

 

left. right. right. another left. up a short flight of steps. right again. left. left. dead end. doubling back. right. left. straight ahead. slightly to the left. sharp right. down a long spiral staircase, doing his best to make sure his shoes don’t slip on the pristine rock. right. right. left.

 

a statue of a black and white teddy bear. four different branching hallways. a crossroads.a plaque on the wallthat simply read _DESPAIR!._ busts of five small bears, one of them looking like the red bear that had shown up earlier. another statue of the same teddy bear, but this one was surprisingly buff. a similar plaque, but this one upside down.a section of hallway where the floor was checkerboard-patterned. a statue of white marble, of . . . a rabbit? three different branches. five. two. dead end,dead end, dead end.

 

retracing his steps didn’t seem to work either. this place, shuichi concluded, didn’t actually operate under any strict logic.

 

he came to a sudden halt. as this corridor ended, there was a large, circular marble room, with a high-arching ceiling. besides the passage he had just stepped out of, there were . . . fourteen? fourteen, other entrances, which made him frownto himself - if there were sixteen openings, he might be able to understand it, given that there were apparently sixteen of _them,_ but why fifteen?

 

the room in front of himhad sixteen raised diases of ominous black marble,in alarge circle.

 

g-d, his legs ached.was there really much of a point to walkinganymore? besides - how the hell would he pick which of these doors to go out of, if he did try and keep going? this was a good a place to rest his burning calves as any. at random ,he walks over to one of theblack platforms and sits on it with a sigh,pulling off hisgoggles and rubbing his eyes, polishing them clean on his shirt.

 

‘ hello? ‘

 

it’s faint, but there’s a voice echoing from . . . one of the other hallways. shuichi jumps to his feet, but considers for a moment. is there any point in trying to follow them? he might just get hopelessly lost again. instead, he cups his handsover his mouth andcalls,as loudly as hecan. ‘ hello! i’m in here! hi! ‘

 

the other person - wait, no.

 

as the voice grows closer, shuichi canmake out two distinctvoices. one of them is clear,almost bell-like,andthe other one is louder, and almost a little bitharsh. hekeeps yelling,like some bizarre call-and-return game - marco polo with thestakes raised. ‘ hey! hello! hello! ‘

 

the voices stop.

 

shuichi’s heart sinks, and he calls out twice more before his hands slowly drop to his sides. despondent,he sits back down on the dias, legs almost giving out under him. 

 

wait.

 

wait, though - the voices weren’t calling out anymore, but he could hear . . . yes, that was footsteps.

 

just as the thought occurred to him,andhe turned his head in the direction of the noise, a girlbarrels out of one of the openings, looking frantic. her hand has a death grip on thehand of another girl, who, despite running at the same pace, manages to make her actions look much smoother, calmer. when they get into the open room, the frantic lookinggirl drops the other one’s hand. ‘ oh, thank _fuck,_ there’s actually someone else here! i thought i was starting to lose my last few g-ddamnmarbles. jesus fuckingshit. ‘she doubles over,resting her hands onher knees and breathing heavily. ‘ _fuck._ ‘

 

me too, shuichi thinks silently,scrambling to get up, tugging his goggles back on as he makes hisway over to the two girls. ‘ h-hey. were . . . were youtwo stuck in those hallways as well? ‘

 

the louder girl,stillbent over and wheezing,just gestures vaguely with one hand.

 

the other girl is wearing a shirt made of some technical material, the sleeves see-through with a sort of spiderweb pattern, and a black sweat band on her wrist. she had almost . . . delicate? light green hair that fell into her face, and pale skin. carefully, shepats her companionon the back. ‘ yes, ‘ she says to shuichi,turning her eyes towards him. ‘ we were notinitiallytravellingwith each other,but when we went to leave the room we were in - miu asked ifshe couldhold my hand as we stepped out. as such,we ended up in the hall together, though none of the rest of us seemed to. ‘

 

‘ h-hey! ‘ the other girl yells,her cheeks reddening a bit as she straightens out.‘ it wasn’t like i was fuckin’ scared or anything, i just thought it’d be a shitty idea to split up! ‘ seemingly regaining some ofher drive, she rests her hands on her hips confidently. ‘ and i was fuckin’ _right,_ wasn’t i? ‘

 

‘ i never disputed that, ‘ the other says calmly. she turns back to shuichi,extending one gracefulhand. ‘ my name iskirumitojo. i am the ultimate tennis player. it is a pleasure to meet you, and i apologize if we may have startled you. ‘

 

shuichi swallows, and takes her hand briefly,hoping that his palms aren’t sweaty.‘ nice to meet you. i’m. . . shuichi saihara. i’m - ‘ andhe looks away, almost ashamed to admit it. what if they expect better fromhim? a real ultimate inventor should’ve found a way out of here by now, right? ‘ i’m . . . the ultimate inventor. ‘

 

‘ and i’m miu fuckin’ iruma! ‘ the other girlannounces, not botheringto go fora handshake. ‘ go on, spew-ichi, get aneyeful. ‘ she rests her hands on her hips with a grinthat seems far too confident for how she had beenstammering just a moment or two ago. she’s wearing short jean shorts, black boots that go up to her knees, fingerless gloves, and . . .

 

‘ what’s . . . with the shirt? ‘ shuichi asks, a little afraid to know the answer, pointingat her bright pink tank top with _DILF_ emblazoned across it in bold white letters.

 

she cackles. ‘ the d stands for detective, obviously! detective i’d love to - ‘

 

‘ anyway, ‘ sayskirumi diplomatically,looking as though she’dalready been on the receiving end ofthis conversation, ‘ we’re both glad to meet you, shuichi. ‘

 

he wonders if thanking her outright would berude, just nodding slightly.

 

miu huffs dramatically, crossing her arms over her chest. ‘ can’t believe i’m stuck in thisshithole with a couple of emo prudes. ‘ shuichi frowns at that, self-consciously adjusting his black lab coat a little. ‘ imean, kirumi’s better than the people i was stuck with _before,_ but it’s a pretty low fuckin’ bar. ‘ she eyes shuichi over skeptically. ‘ and at least she doesn’t seemlike a fuckin’ virgin! ‘

 

shuichi’s ears redden, ever so slightly.

 

‘ miu . . . ‘ kirumi begins, voice a little tired.

 

‘ yeah, yeah, ‘ she grunts. ‘ anyway. incase yourpea braincouldn’t put it together, i’m the gorgeous girlgenius, the ultimate detective. were you guys also. . . fuck, i don’t know. did youalso wind up in a glass box with some other people before you got stuck in this rat maze? ‘

 

‘ yeah, ‘ shuichi replies. ‘ i was with . . . the ultimate astronaut and the ultimate magician. uh,that is - korekiyo shinguji and rantaro amami. or, no, wait, the other way around,rantaro is the astronaut . . . ‘ feeling foolish, he trails off, looking down and away.

 

miu looks like she’s about to comment on his stumbling, but kirumi, thankfully, cuts in again. ‘ as was i. the ultimate entomologist, kaede akamatsu, and the ultimate survivor, angie yonaga. what about you, miu? ‘

 

‘ oh, yeah. the ultimate artist, some kid named some weird shit like . . . kiibo? keebo? ida-bitchy, and this little fucking rat, cock-itchy. ‘

 

‘ oh! ‘ shuichi says, surprised. ‘ i met him. ‘ he looks at kirumi. ‘ kokichi ouma. he’s . . . the ultimate assassin. ‘

 

‘ thank you, ‘ kirumi says with an elegant tip of her head, seemingly glad for the translation from miu-speak. ‘ do either of you have . . . any reason why all of us were gathered here? besides . . . the explanation we received in the elevator, at least. ‘

 

‘ whateverthefuck a killinggame is, ‘miu grunts. ‘ sounds like some kinky rich-guy sadist bullshit, youknow? i don’t want any part of it. but given all the shit they’ve made us do already, kinda doubt we’re gonna have a choice in the matter. ‘

 

‘ and you’d be absolutely right! ‘ a voice announces, miu squealing and grabbing onto kirumi’s hand again, ducking behind her a little bit.

 

regaining her courage, she steps up, her free hand ( shuichi, diplomatically, decides not to point out that she’s still seemingly using kirumi’s hand as a lifeline ) shaking up at the ceiling. ‘ hey! shit-for-brains! we aren’t scared of you, so why don’t you come out here and show your ugly ass? ‘

 

‘ weeeell, if you insist! ‘ the cheerful voice calls again, and miu flinches back as something suddenly pops up from . . . inside? one of the diases.

 

it’s a teddy bear.

 

it’s the same teddy bear, shuichi realizes, that he’s been seeing throughout the hallways, depicted in marble. one side white, with an innocent smile, and the other black, with a red jagged eye and teeth that curled cruelly upwards. the sound effect of applause plays in the background, echoing through the empty room as the bear bows to an imaginary crowd. ‘ wwwwelcome, gifted students of project gofer! i’m monokuma, your wonderful and despairing headmaster! ‘

 

shuichi’s mouth was dry, his tongue turned leaden in his mouth. he blames that for the words that come out when he swallows and says, a little dumbfounded: ‘ you’re a teddy bear. ‘

 

their . . . headmaster? growls at him, claws popping out of one stuffed paw that seemed . . . quite a bit less adorable. ‘ you take that back! i’m not a teddy bear! ‘ it rests its paws on its hips, swelling up a bit. ‘ i’m monokuma! ‘

 

‘ what the fuck? ‘ miu says, bending over and eying the bear. ‘ the fuck is this shit? are you saying we all got abducted by some ripoff fair game prize? that’s some bullshit. ‘ she reaches out as if to poke monokuma, but kirumi quickly grabs her wrist.

 

‘ i would advise against that, ‘ she says calmly. ‘ given our circumstances, i think we should hesitate to make assumptions based on appearance in this case. ‘

 

‘ full points, miss kirumi tojo! ‘ the little bear howls with glee, clapping its paws together. ‘ as is to be expected from the world-renowed ultimate tennis player. ‘ he shifts his legs, hiding his mouth behind one paw as if being coy. ‘ upupupu . . . good thing, too, or irumahere might have lost that hand! ‘

 

miu gulps, jerking her hand back to her chest. ‘ you l-leave my hands alone! how the fuck’m i supposed toget girls if you - ‘

 

‘ so . . . why are we here? ‘ shuichi asks.

 

monokuma looks inanimate for a moment, like it really is nothing more than a teddy bear, limbs completely still as itignores shuichi and his question. shuichi swallows, a little disenheartened.

 

‘ what’s going to happen to us? ‘ kirumi tries, hands folding neatly together.

 

monokuma springs right back into action. ‘ why, i’m so glad you asked! up next on your class agenda - a brief explanation of the killing game. ‘ out of seemingly nowhere, it pulls out a pair of reading glasses, setting them on the bridge of its stuffed snout, and a color-coded schedule, seemingly reviewing it. ‘ beginning with your tuto-trial! in order to understand this killing game, you need to understand the stakes, you know? ‘ it tucks away the glasses and paper from the same place it had gotten them, which is, to say, seemingly nowhere. ‘ but i have a prize for you! for being such good, punctual little students. ‘

 

it taps its. . . chin? seemingly deep in thought. ‘ althoooough . . . i originally designed it to be for the first two students who reached the trial room. however, miu and kirumi came in at the same time, which really screws that plan over. ‘ suddenly, its mechanical eyes focus in on shuichi. ‘ what do you think should be the solution? ‘

 

shuichi gulps, ducking his head a little, aware of the eyes on him. it would help if he had . . . _any_ idea of what the proffered prize was. ‘ er . . . maybe . . . maybe they can split it? or both get the prize? ‘

 

‘ hm . . . acceptable! ‘ monokuma says, clapping its paws together. ‘ this early on in the game, i suppose i can be generous. all three of you will receive a prize - ‘ and its eyes gleam, slightly. ‘ the right to see who voted for what, or, as the case may be, _who,_ in a class trial. ‘

 

 _‘_ fuck does that mean? ‘ miu asks, hands resting on her hips.

 

monokuma just giggles, seemingly unable to contain its excitement as it hops from foot to foot on the spot. ‘ you’ll seeeee! your first class trial is going to begin soooon, after all. once your classmates manage to make their way over here. after that, you’ll have been officially welcomed - ‘ and shuichi would _swear_ on his life that he hears a fanfare ‘ - to your killing school life! ‘

* * *

( ultimate tennis player / ultimate detective )

* * *

 

 **CURRENT KNOWN TALENTS:** (  _italicized is word-of-mouth only )_

 **shuichi saihara:**  ultimate inventor  
 **rantaro amami:**  ultimate astronaut  
 **korekiyo shinguji:**  ultimate magician  
 **tsumugi shirogane:**  ultimate ???  
 **m4-k1/maki:**  ultimate robot  
 **kokichi ouma:**  ultimate assassin  
 **kirumi tojo:** ultimate tennis player  
 **miu iruma:** ultimate detective  
 __ **kaede akamatsu:** ultimate entomologist  
 **kiibo idabashi:** ultimate artist  
 **angie yonaga:** ultimate survivor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as i'm sure you've probably figured out by now, this is also a swap of some of the plot devices/elements in drv3, as well as just a talentswap. i figured i might as well mix things up a little bit!
> 
> if you're enjoying the story or character designs, please comment!

**Author's Note:**

> i was trying not to write this for so long bc i have so many fucking multichapters i need to update but . here we go. fuck it


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